>> roger, control. >> let me give you an example in southern afghanistan. so if you look at where the majority of the population is... >> narrator: the military leadership says there is no contradiction between protecting the afghan population and kill/capture operations. >> we've undertaken, you know, roughly 3,000 operations in the last 90 days, so this is an unprecedented op tempo here in afghanistan in these types of operations. >> narrator: according to major general john nicholson, kill/capture missions create space in which conventional troops can improve security. >> by maintaining the initiative against the enemy, that enables the majority of the force to focus on securing the population, so the two are essential and complementary. if we did not have this level of operational tempo with special operating forces, then it would be tougher for our conventional forces to secure the population. ( shouting and gunfire ) >> narrator: conventional forces across afghanistan are fighting hard to secure the major population centers. ( gunfire ) >> see the wom